DSI News

Dust Solutions, Inc. is constantly developing and implementing solutions for its clients. In this section, we keep you updated on the latest news in the fields of products, industry news, and cutting edge installations.

EPA Announcement

On September 25, 2009 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised emissions control requirements for new coal preparation plants. These revisions were based on a variety of input and comments from those directly involved in the coal industry, including coal mines, power plants, consultants, engineering firms and suppliers of air pollution control systems.

The EPA findings have created new rules that they published in the Federal Registers on October 8, 2009. The new rules designate "Fogging Systems" as a Best Demonstrated Technology (BDT) for coal handing equipment used on sub bituminous and lignite coals.

BDT as identified by the EPA, is the most effective commercially available means of treating specific types of hazardous waste. Public testimony given to the EPA on fogging systems has revealed what we at DSI has been saying for many years, that Dry Fog can be the most cost effective dust control system available, yielding results as good or better than any other control measure.

A Power River Basin (PRB) Coal Mine did a Cost Analysis comparing various dust control systems. It concluded that Dry Fog has the Lowest Capital and 30 year Operation and Maintnentce Cost of any BDT system on the market. Lower than Passive Transfer Chutes, Dust Scrubbers Baghouse Collection Systems. In fact Dry Fog is shown to be nearly 4 times less expensive than Baghouse Collection Systems!

Chemical systems are not BDT for sub bituminous and lignite coals and were not even considered in this analysis. However, the requirements to purchase chemicals for the entire life of the systems could put chemical suppression system as the highest cost of operation.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigated combustible dust incidents from 1980 through 2004. It found that 18% of all incidents and fatalities involved dust collectors. This PRB mines analysis estimates that their former baghouses used 2.5 times more energy than Dry Fog. The risk of fires and explosions has prompted nearly every PRB coal mine to phase out collection in favor of Dry Fog and or Passive Control Chutes. This trend has made its way into the facilities of end users (power plants) for the same reasons. With Dry Fog, there is no explosive waste stream and the reduction of dust has been consistently been reported as better than collection systems. Read their fullTestimony to the EPA .